Groundhogs are animals that do not like to be in open spaces. They are less likely to cross an expanse of mowed lawn to get to flower garden beds, than they are to creep out of wooded areas near plantings. Since they are animals that do not enjoy being in open spaces, it is wise to eradicate any tall weeds surrounding your prized flowering plants.
Groundhogs are burrowing animals and burrow under woodpiles, haystacks, and piles of mulch. They are also called woodchucks and whistle pigs, and their hidden dens can cause problems for machinery and livestock. They can easily burrow under fences. They eat a lot in the fall to help them hibernate all winter and they wake up in the spring feeling ravenous, ready to eat your flowers.
One way to deter them from your garden is to get a dog, and even a little dog will do. The dog only needs to bark a lot and chase them so that your yard becomes such a problem for them that they move on. Another trick is to empty a cat’s litter box into a groundhog’s entrance hole. Do this enough times to make them move out of their lair. Then put piles of rocks into all of the exit holes that you can find. To identify the exit holes, throw smoke bombs into one hole and then watch to see the smoke elsewhere.
This is Moya Andrews, and today we focused on groundhogs.
